Emotion regulation plays a crucial role in adolescent psychological health and is influenced by the quality of parent-child relationships. Prior research suggests that supportive relationships foster adaptive emotion regulation, while conflict-ridden relationships contribute to emotion regulation difficulties, leading to negative psychological outcomes. This study examines the mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties in the association between mother-daughter relationship quality and adolescent psychological maladjustment, including anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. A sample of 106 adolescent girls (ages 11–21) in the United States completed self-report measures assessing relationship closeness and discord, emotion regulation difficulties, and psychological distress. Results indicated that relationship discord was significantly associated with greater emotion regulation difficulties, which in turn predicted higher levels of anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. Notably, relationship closeness was not a significant predictor of psychological health outcomes when discord was accounted for. These findings suggest that while supportive relationships are beneficial, reducing conflict in mother-daughter relationships may be particularly important for fostering better emotion regulation and psychological well-being in adolescent girls. Future research should explore these associations in diverse populations and examine potential bidirectional effects between parent child conflict and adolescent emotion regulation.
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